Chapter 789 The Adopted Child Refused Aunt Priscilla
“Tsk tsk, Tanner’s family took in a stray, now she bites the hand that feeds her. Shameful, really.”
Beckham squirmed under the constant murmurs, his face etched with discomfort. He cleared his throat, “Actually, the whole thing’s blown out of proportion-
Cherise stood stock-still, a bitter smile on her lips as she watched her father scramble to defend Gwenn. It all made sense now why Damien was determined to stir the pot.
In Beckham’s eyes, this was about protecting his family and Gwenn had been a part of it for over twenty years. Her connection, confirmed by a DNA test five years ago, couldn’t compete with those shared years. Blood ties weren’t everything, she understood.
Gwenn met Priscilla’s gaze head-on, her voice firm. “So that’s what this is all about. The news article, yes, that was my work.”
“However, the details about Cherry’s unethical conduct were sent to our supervisor. I had to fulfill a professional obligation, or someone would have anyway.”
Gwenn threw Cherise a side-eye, a smirk playing on her lips. “Look, sis, don’t hold a grudge against me. If I hadn’t handled that news piece myself, who knows what kind of twisted mess it would’ve been? I did what I could to soften the blow, you know?”
She sighed, a flicker of regret crossing her face. “But yeah, it still got out, and I’m truly sorry for that. I didn’t mean to air your dirty laundry to the whole world, even if I was trying to clean things up.”
Gwenn’s eyes glinted with a hidden edge as she added, her voice soft but firm, “It’s been so long already. But if you’re still upset with me, then I apologize again. I’m truly sorry for what happened.”
Gwenn’s words were a masterclass in deflection. She played the martyr, the regretful accomplice, and even the concerned sister.
It was enough to fool some, like Beckham, who cooed, “Let bygones be bygones. Cherry would never hold a grudge against you, Gwenn.”
But Damien saw through the charade. “Why shouldn’t she hold grudges?” he scoffed, pulling Cherise close.
“If someone slandered my wife, I wouldn’t rest until they faced the consequences.”
His gaze, cold and unforgiving, met Gwenn’s. “You claimed to care about Cherry,” he said, his words dripping with ice.
“But did you even bother contacting her before writing that hatchet job? You had the Tanner family’s information, for God’s sake! Why didn’t you give her a chance to defend herself?”
Gwenn’s mask slipped. The truth, laid bare by Damien’s unwavering gaze, was a damning indictment. Without a single conversation with Cherise, she had condemned her based on whispers and shadows.
